21mm or 15mm LTD?

schmik · 09-29-2010, 06:20 PM

Wooo hooo placed my order for the 15mm LTD.
I had $600 AUD to spend. Got the 15, an 8GB extreme III card and shipping within the budget.

GO THE AUSSIE DOLLAR! It's a 0.97USD. It may even get over one USD in the next few weeks but this is record breaking. Are doing that well 'down unda' or are things that bad in the land of the free.

Deciding factors:

15mm i can crop
I am going on that 8 week 4wd adventurre
in AU the 15mm retails for approx $1300
I've always wanted the 21mm so i will save for it.

thanks for the opinions!

cheers
mike

aleonx3 · 09-29-2010, 06:54 PM

Originally posted by schmik

Wooo hooo placed my order for the 15mm LTD.
I had $600 AUD to spend. Got the 15, an 8GB extreme III card and shipping within the budget.

GO THE AUSSIE DOLLAR! It's a 0.97USD. It may even get over one USD in the next few weeks but this is record breaking. Are doing that well 'down unda' or are things that bad in the land of the free.

Deciding factors:

15mm i can crop
I am going on that 8 week 4wd adventurre
in AU the 15mm retails for approx $1300
I've always wanted the 21mm so i will save for it.

thanks for the opinions!

cheers
mike

Mike, good for you folks down there... also at par with Canadian dollars eh? Oh, with regard to OP's thread, I think I would like 21mm better as a workaround lens and probably used it more often than the 15mm.

abacus07 · 11-08-2010, 10:05 AM

Bumping since I'm now pondering the same decision and there is some good info here. I'm moving up to the DSLR world (K-x)after 6 years with a Fuji S5100 (37-370mm equivalent). I know that I've always wanted to be a little wider but I'm not real sure how much wider. The other factor is that all of the rest of my lenses will be MF (or Takumar's). So the versatility of the 21mm would likely make it my primary lens but the 15mm controls my mind (I've read the thread...). And for the next year or longer there is definitely only one DA limited in the budget.

Projected lens lineup - 1st 3 are bought - about 80 each but they look immaculate (all will be shipped to me at once from my US address)
??? - something wide (I do have the 18-55 kit)
Vivitar 28/2.8 - A setting
SMC Takumar - 35/3.5 - could become my favorite lens
A 50/1.7 - low light
probably an M 100/2.8 or a Super Tak 105/2.8 - used to isolate landscape or for candid portaits in open settings (sniping?)
super tak 135/3.5 - I might get this just because it's so cheap (and high IQ) - a little heavier than I want for my backpacking trips otherwise I would skip the 100/105

I'm working on setting up a great system for several backpacking trips through asia over the next several years

this winter - Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia (5-6 wks) visiting Halong Bay, Angkor Wat and a lot of places in between
March 2012 - Nepal and then onto Tibet (3+ months) - I'm looking to do multiple treks and take great pictures
The following summer I might travel to Mongolia and Lake Baikal (in addition to China)

paperbag846 · 11-08-2010, 10:32 AM

I have a question:

If I was to crop the DA 15 to the proportions of the DA 21, what would the % loss of mega-pixels be? I can't seem to find a good formula and since the relationship of focal lengths is logarithmic, I can't do a comparison of 18 and 24 with the kit lens.

Thanks for your help.

Noidea · 11-08-2010, 04:12 PM

Aaagh, I was just about to pull the trigger finally on the 15, 43 and 70 limiteds and now I'm second guessing again whether I should get the 21 instead of the 15. I'm sure I'd use the 21 more but then I just see so many great shots with the 15 on the forum and I feel I have to learn to be able to do that. Why can't there be a 21 limited controls my mind thread?

Ira · 11-08-2010, 04:20 PM

I have all manual lenses, but I am dying for the DA15.

I've given my wife the usual hints for Christmas, but I'm not holding my breath:

Not only doesn't she understand all of this stuff, she obviously doesn't love me.

The DA15 Controls My Mind thread made a believer out of me. It's the kind of lens where you would be happy to travel to those places and situations just to use it.

Simply stunning, and if I ever get a job again and my wife doesn't come through for Christmas, I'm buying it.

Ira · 11-08-2010, 04:23 PM

Originally posted by Noidea

Aaagh, I was just about to pull the trigger finally on the 15, 43 and 70 limiteds and now I'm second guessing again whether I should get the 21 instead of the 15. I'm sure I'd use the 21 more but then I just see so many great shots with the 15 on the forum and I feel I have to learn to be able to do that. Why can't there be a 21 limited controls my mind thread?

Go for the 15, and don't doubt yourself on this.

On a popularity and envy/LBA scale of modern Pentax lenses, this lens is number one.

twitch · 11-08-2010, 04:34 PM

I’m fortunate enough to own the 15/21/40/70 combination. I’ve only owned the 21 for 3 months, and the 15 for a few weeks, so I’m not exactly an authority on the topic. I have racked up about 1,000 photos with the 21 though, and it's my view the 21 is the most versatile out of all 4. Wide enough to be very usable for landscapes, but not so wide that perspective distortion is limiting when photographing people. The 15 though is able to make more dramatic landscape pictures due to it being a UWA, but it is often too wide for people shots in my (limited) experience.

Both are fantastic lenses.

DA21

DA15

Noidea · 11-08-2010, 04:41 PM

See what I mean! You did a great job twitch of convincing me to go for the 21 and then you post a frankly incredible shot you took with your 15!!

twitch · 11-08-2010, 04:54 PM

Originally posted by Noidea

See what I mean! You did a great job twitch of convincing me to go for the 21 and then you post a frankly incredible shot you took with your 15!!

Ha, sorry about that

But I think that is how it is between those lenses, the 15 is potentially the more spectaular due to its wider focal length, so it will have higher highs for landscape shots, but the 21 is the more versatile and would potentially be used in more situations.

Parallax · 11-08-2010, 05:08 PM

Question for those who have both the 15 and 21:

Are there many circumstances where, when you have one of them mounted, you switch to the other for a particular shot?
In other words, having both is certainly the ideal, but would you feel handicapped if you only had one or the other?
I'm trying to make a decision between the two and not having much luck. I'm leaning toward the 15 as you can crop a shot from a wider lens, but it's pretty tough to expand one from a longer one. Is there much difference in appearance, or "perspective" between a shot from a 21mm and the same shot from a 15 cropped to the same view?

GeneV · 11-08-2010, 05:15 PM

Originally posted by Parallax

Question for those who have both the 15 and 21:

Are there many circumstances where, when you have one of them mounted, you switch to the other for a particular shot?
In other words, having both is certainly the ideal, but would you feel handicapped if you only had one or the other?
I'm trying to make a decision between the two and not having much luck. I'm leaning toward the 15 as you can crop a shot from a wider lens, but it's pretty tough to expand one from a longer one. Is there much difference in appearance, or "perspective" between a shot from a 21mm and the same shot from a 15 cropped to the same view?

Jim, of course I've switched from one to the other. I bought the DA21 first, but the 15mm did not exist. However, your approach is reasonable. The only reason to go the other way is if size is an issue. The DA40 and 21 are so pocketable that they may serve a need that the 15 can't.

Parallax · 11-08-2010, 07:06 PM

I have a DA 40 that doesn't get used nearly as much as it deserves to (I use my 31 Ltd far more). Pocketabiltiy is not nearly so much an issue for me as versatility. I think my mind is made up between the two, the only question now is DA 15, K5, or DA 15 AND K5.

paperbag846 · 11-08-2010, 10:43 PM

Originally posted by GeneV

Jim, of course I've switched from one to the other. I bought the DA21 first, but the 15mm did not exist. However, your approach is reasonable. The only reason to go the other way is if size is an issue. The DA40 and 21 are so pocketable that they may serve a need that the 15 can't.

How much of the image does it take to crop the 15 to the perspective of the 21?

timo · 11-09-2010, 12:57 AM

Originally posted by paperbag846

I have a question:

If I was to crop the DA 15 to the proportions of the DA 21, what would the % loss of mega-pixels be? I can't seem to find a good formula and since the relationship of focal lengths is logarithmic, I can't do a comparison of 18 and 24 with the kit lens.

Thanks for your help.

I'm no expert (he wrote hastily) but my understanding is that the angle of view (or crop) is inversely proportionate to the focal length. 15/21 is about 71% so that would be the effect on the lateral pixel dimension of your picture. But the overall pixel count of the shot would be reduced to 71% in both directions (horizontal and vertical), so a 10MP shot would be cropped down to just over 5 MP (you have to apply the 71% factor twice).

If I'm wrong someone tell me please!

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09-29-2010, 06:20 PM	#31
schmik Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sydney Aus Photos: Gallery Posts: 527 Original Poster	Wooo hooo placed my order for the 15mm LTD. I had $600 AUD to spend. Got the 15, an 8GB extreme III card and shipping within the budget. GO THE AUSSIE DOLLAR! It's a 0.97USD. It may even get over one USD in the next few weeks but this is record breaking. Are doing that well 'down unda' or are things that bad in the land of the free. Deciding factors: 15mm i can crop I am going on that 8 week 4wd adventurre in AU the 15mm retails for approx $1300 I've always wanted the 21mm so i will save for it. thanks for the opinions! cheers mike

09-29-2010, 06:54 PM	#32
aleonx3 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Brampton, Ontario Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,996	Originally posted by schmik Wooo hooo placed my order for the 15mm LTD. I had $600 AUD to spend. Got the 15, an 8GB extreme III card and shipping within the budget. GO THE AUSSIE DOLLAR! It's a 0.97USD. It may even get over one USD in the next few weeks but this is record breaking. Are doing that well 'down unda' or are things that bad in the land of the free. Deciding factors: 15mm i can crop I am going on that 8 week 4wd adventurre in AU the 15mm retails for approx $1300 I've always wanted the 21mm so i will save for it. thanks for the opinions! cheers mike Mike, good for you folks down there... also at par with Canadian dollars eh? Oh, with regard to OP's thread, I think I would like 21mm better as a workaround lens and probably used it more often than the 15mm.

11-08-2010, 10:05 AM	#33
abacus07 Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Taiwan Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,075	Bumping since I'm now pondering the same decision and there is some good info here. I'm moving up to the DSLR world (K-x)after 6 years with a Fuji S5100 (37-370mm equivalent). I know that I've always wanted to be a little wider but I'm not real sure how much wider. The other factor is that all of the rest of my lenses will be MF (or Takumar's). So the versatility of the 21mm would likely make it my primary lens but the 15mm controls my mind (I've read the thread...). And for the next year or longer there is definitely only one DA limited in the budget. Projected lens lineup - 1st 3 are bought - about 80 each but they look immaculate (all will be shipped to me at once from my US address) ??? - something wide (I do have the 18-55 kit) Vivitar 28/2.8 - A setting SMC Takumar - 35/3.5 - could become my favorite lens A 50/1.7 - low light probably an M 100/2.8 or a Super Tak 105/2.8 - used to isolate landscape or for candid portaits in open settings (sniping?) super tak 135/3.5 - I might get this just because it's so cheap (and high IQ) - a little heavier than I want for my backpacking trips otherwise I would skip the 100/105 I'm working on setting up a great system for several backpacking trips through asia over the next several years this winter - Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia (5-6 wks) visiting Halong Bay, Angkor Wat and a lot of places in between March 2012 - Nepal and then onto Tibet (3+ months) - I'm looking to do multiple treks and take great pictures The following summer I might travel to Mongolia and Lake Baikal (in addition to China)

11-08-2010, 10:32 AM	#34
paperbag846 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,395	I have a question: If I was to crop the DA 15 to the proportions of the DA 21, what would the % loss of mega-pixels be? I can't seem to find a good formula and since the relationship of focal lengths is logarithmic, I can't do a comparison of 18 and 24 with the kit lens. Thanks for your help.

11-08-2010, 04:12 PM	#35
Noidea New Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: London Posts: 21	Aaagh, I was just about to pull the trigger finally on the 15, 43 and 70 limiteds and now I'm second guessing again whether I should get the 21 instead of the 15. I'm sure I'd use the 21 more but then I just see so many great shots with the 15 on the forum and I feel I have to learn to be able to do that. Why can't there be a 21 limited controls my mind thread?

11-08-2010, 04:20 PM	#36
Ira Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Coral Springs, FL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,216	I have all manual lenses, but I am dying for the DA15. I've given my wife the usual hints for Christmas, but I'm not holding my breath: Not only doesn't she understand all of this stuff, she obviously doesn't love me. The DA15 Controls My Mind thread made a believer out of me. It's the kind of lens where you would be happy to travel to those places and situations just to use it. Simply stunning, and if I ever get a job again and my wife doesn't come through for Christmas, I'm buying it.

11-08-2010, 04:23 PM	#37
Ira Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Coral Springs, FL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,216	Originally posted by Noidea Aaagh, I was just about to pull the trigger finally on the 15, 43 and 70 limiteds and now I'm second guessing again whether I should get the 21 instead of the 15. I'm sure I'd use the 21 more but then I just see so many great shots with the 15 on the forum and I feel I have to learn to be able to do that. Why can't there be a 21 limited controls my mind thread? Go for the 15, and don't doubt yourself on this. On a popularity and envy/LBA scale of modern Pentax lenses, this lens is number one.

11-08-2010, 04:34 PM	#38
twitch Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 4,571	I’m fortunate enough to own the 15/21/40/70 combination. I’ve only owned the 21 for 3 months, and the 15 for a few weeks, so I’m not exactly an authority on the topic. I have racked up about 1,000 photos with the 21 though, and it's my view the 21 is the most versatile out of all 4. Wide enough to be very usable for landscapes, but not so wide that perspective distortion is limiting when photographing people. The 15 though is able to make more dramatic landscape pictures due to it being a UWA, but it is often too wide for people shots in my (limited) experience. Both are fantastic lenses. DA21 DA15

11-08-2010, 04:41 PM	#39
Noidea New Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: London Posts: 21	See what I mean! You did a great job twitch of convincing me to go for the 21 and then you post a frankly incredible shot you took with your 15!!

11-08-2010, 04:54 PM	#40
twitch Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 4,571	Originally posted by Noidea See what I mean! You did a great job twitch of convincing me to go for the 21 and then you post a frankly incredible shot you took with your 15!! Ha, sorry about that But I think that is how it is between those lenses, the 15 is potentially the more spectaular due to its wider focal length, so it will have higher highs for landscape shots, but the 21 is the more versatile and would potentially be used in more situations.

11-08-2010, 05:08 PM	#41
Parallax Senior Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Dakota Photos: Gallery Posts: 19,332	Question for those who have both the 15 and 21: Are there many circumstances where, when you have one of them mounted, you switch to the other for a particular shot? In other words, having both is certainly the ideal, but would you feel handicapped if you only had one or the other? I'm trying to make a decision between the two and not having much luck. I'm leaning toward the 15 as you can crop a shot from a wider lens, but it's pretty tough to expand one from a longer one. Is there much difference in appearance, or "perspective" between a shot from a 21mm and the same shot from a 15 cropped to the same view?

11-08-2010, 05:15 PM	#42
GeneV Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Photos: Albums Posts: 9,830	Originally posted by Parallax Question for those who have both the 15 and 21: Are there many circumstances where, when you have one of them mounted, you switch to the other for a particular shot? In other words, having both is certainly the ideal, but would you feel handicapped if you only had one or the other? I'm trying to make a decision between the two and not having much luck. I'm leaning toward the 15 as you can crop a shot from a wider lens, but it's pretty tough to expand one from a longer one. Is there much difference in appearance, or "perspective" between a shot from a 21mm and the same shot from a 15 cropped to the same view? Jim, of course I've switched from one to the other. I bought the DA21 first, but the 15mm did not exist. However, your approach is reasonable. The only reason to go the other way is if size is an issue. The DA40 and 21 are so pocketable that they may serve a need that the 15 can't.

11-08-2010, 07:06 PM	#43
Parallax Senior Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Dakota Photos: Gallery Posts: 19,332	I have a DA 40 that doesn't get used nearly as much as it deserves to (I use my 31 Ltd far more). Pocketabiltiy is not nearly so much an issue for me as versatility. I think my mind is made up between the two, the only question now is DA 15, K5, or DA 15 AND K5.

11-08-2010, 10:43 PM	#44
paperbag846 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,395	Originally posted by GeneV Jim, of course I've switched from one to the other. I bought the DA21 first, but the 15mm did not exist. However, your approach is reasonable. The only reason to go the other way is if size is an issue. The DA40 and 21 are so pocketable that they may serve a need that the 15 can't. How much of the image does it take to crop the 15 to the perspective of the 21?

11-09-2010, 12:57 AM	#45
timo Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: former Arsenal football stadium Photos: Gallery Posts: 431	Originally posted by paperbag846 I have a question: If I was to crop the DA 15 to the proportions of the DA 21, what would the % loss of mega-pixels be? I can't seem to find a good formula and since the relationship of focal lengths is logarithmic, I can't do a comparison of 18 and 24 with the kit lens. Thanks for your help. I'm no expert (he wrote hastily) but my understanding is that the angle of view (or crop) is inversely proportionate to the focal length. 15/21 is about 71% so that would be the effect on the lateral pixel dimension of your picture. But the overall pixel count of the shot would be reduced to 71% in both directions (horizontal and vertical), so a 10MP shot would be cropped down to just over 5 MP (you have to apply the 71% factor twice). If I'm wrong someone tell me please!